DIRECTION SENSE

Direction sense is a common topic in CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test) logical reasoning. This type of reasoning assesses a candidate's ability to understand and analyze spatial relationships, directions, and positions. Questions related to direction sense often involve determining the direction in which an object or person is facing or moving

What is a Direction?

In a general sense, a "direction" refers to the course or path along which something moves, points, or lies. It indicates a specific orientation or position relative to a reference point. In various contexts, the term "direction" can have different meanings:

In geography and navigation, directions typically refer to the cardinal points of the compass—North, South, East, and West. These cardinal directions help define the orientation of objects or locations on the Earth's surface
In the context of movement, direction indicates the path or trajectory along which something is moving. For example, a car moving "to the north" is heading in a northerly direction
When describing the position of an object or person, direction may indicate the orientation or facing of that entity. For instance, someone facing East is looking toward the East
In mathematics and physics, a vector has both magnitude and direction. The direction of a vector indicates the line along which the vector extends. It is often represented by an angle or a set of coordinates

Cardinal Directions

Cardinal directions are the four main points of the compass: North, South, East, and West. These directions help establish orientation and navigate in relation to the Earth's surface. Here's a brief description of each cardinal direction:

North (N):
- North is the direction pointing towards the North Pole, which is at the top of the Earth. It is opposite to the South direction.
South (S):
- South is the direction pointing towards the South Pole, located at the bottom of the Earth. It is opposite to the North direction.
East (E):
- East is the direction to the right when facing North. It is perpendicular to both North and South.
West (W):
- West is the direction to the left when facing North. It is perpendicular to both North and South, and opposite to East.

Together, these cardinal directions create the framework for navigation and orientation. Intermediary directions, known as intercardinal or ordinal directions, are also commonly used. They are Northeast (NE), Southeast (SE), Southwest (SW), and Northwest (NW), each positioned halfway between two adjacent cardinal directions.

The eight cardinal and intercardinal directions are often used together to create a compass rose, which is a circular diagram that shows all of the directions. Compass roses are used on maps and compasses to help people navigate

Direction	Abbreviation
North	N
South	S
East	E
West	W
Northeast	NE
Southeast	SE
Southwest	SW
Northwest	NW

Practice Questions on direction Sense

1.A person starts walking facing North. After walking 10 meters, he turns left, walks 5 meters, then turns right and walks 8 meters. Finally, he turns left again. In which direction is he facing now?

The person started facing North.
After the left turn, he is facing West.
After the right turn, he is facing North again.
After the second left turn, he is facing West.

So, the person is facing West now

2.A car travels 20 kilometers to the East, then turns left and travels 15 kilometers to the North. What is the straight-line distance from the starting point to the final position of the car?

3.If a person facing East turns 135 degrees in the clockwise direction and then 90 degrees in the anti-clockwise direction, in which direction is the person facing now?

Starting facing East, turning 135 degrees clockwise brings the person to the South-East direction.
Turning 90 degrees anti-clockwise from there brings the person to the South direction.

So, the person is facing South now.

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DIRECTION SENSE

DIRECTION SENSE

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